Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella said his group is “in the midst of establishing an identity” in a letter sent to the team’s season-ticket holders on Monday.
The Flyers currently rank seventh in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division, only ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, with a 21-21-9 record and 51 points through 51 games in the 2022-23 regular season.
Tortorella, a two-time Jack Adams Award winner, joined the Flyers as their head coach on June 17, 2022. The Flyers have qualified for the playoffs just four times in the last 10 seasons, winning only one round in that time.
“At the beginning of the season, we set out to build a foundation for the future and a standard for how we’re going to play, night in and night out,” Tortorella wrote. “Now that we’re halfway through the season, I want to share with you what I’ve seen from our guys. I have been very pleased with our team’s effort, drive, and hunger to compete.
“Perhaps more importantly, and I hope you’ve noticed this too, I love the way this team has consistently responded to the challenges we’ve faced, both as individuals and as a group,” Tortorella continued. “Throughout the locker room, our players are showing a full commitment to getting it right.”
Travis Konecny currently leads the Flyers with 49 points in 45 games this season. The 25-year-old forward has already tied his career-best with 24 goals and is on pace to set new high watermarks in every offensive category.
Carter Hart, Scott Laughton, Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Cam York, and Noah Cates have also taken strong steps forward in Tortorella’s first year as Flyers head coach. But Tortorella made it clear in his letter that plenty more work still needs to be done.
“Now, I’m not going to lie to you — and I want to be clear about this — we’re not there yet,” Tortorella wrote. “This year was the first step in building the future of the Flyers and restoring our reputation as one of the most respected teams in hockey.”
The Flyers entered the NHL All-Star break with a 5-3-2 record in their last 10 games. They’ll return to action on Monday when they play host to the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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